Vinyl resin composition



Patented n... 28, 1943' 2,231,635 VINYL nasm comrosrrron Charles B08111,

Terre Haute, Ind., assignor to Commercial Solvents Corporation, Terre Haute, 11111., a corporation of Maryland No Drawing.

Application October 31, 1941, Serial No. 417,358 t t 50laims. (Cl. zoo-a2 relates to resin compositions for use in the manufacture of films, lacquers, varnishes, molding compositions, filaments, etc. It pertains particularly to compositions compris- My invention ing polyvinyl acetal resins and solvents therefor. 5 solvent-plasticizer in The vinyl resins as a class possess a number of unusual properties which make them especially adaptable for various purposes in different industries, inasmuch as most of them are of unusual chemical and physical stability. however, possess defects which render their use for many purposes both impractical and expensive. This is particularly the case in the coating industries where solvents are necessary, since most of the vinyl resins are relatively insoluble in the commercially available solvent materials. This, as well as therequirements of various special uses, has led to the preparation of a number of types of vinyl resins possessing distinct properties and suitable for diflerent purposes.

In United States Patent No. 2,192,583, granted March 5, 1940, to me, I have disclosed the use of the nitroalkanes as solvents for vinyl resins of the type produced by the conjoint polymerization of a vinyl halide with a vinyl ester of a lower aliphatic acid. I have now discovered that the nitroparamns may also be satisfactorily employed as solvents for still another type of vinyl resins, namely, the modified vinyl resins resulting from partial hydrolysis of polymerized vinyl esters 30,

which are subsequently condensed with aldehydes or similar reagents to cause acetal formation. The vinyl resins resulting from the interaction of a lower. aliphatic aldehyde such as formaldehyde with a partially hydrolyzed vinyl ester, have been found to be particularly suitable for the preparation of the compositions of my invention. Resins of the latter type are well known in the art as vinyl acetal resins and are sold under such trade names as Alvar," etc. My present invention pertains to compositions comprising the latter type of vinyl resins and nitroalkanes, and particularly to coating compositions comprising such materials.

Thenitroalkanes which I have found to be suitable for preparing solvent compositions comprising vinyl acetal resins may be produced in accordance with the process disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,967,667, granted July 24, 1934, to H. B. Hass, E. B.'Hodge, and B. M. Vanderbilt, although they may, of course, be made by other processes, if desired. Any of the nitroalkanes of suitable chemical and physical characteristics may be employed as solvents for the vinyl-acetal resins, depending upon the uses to which the compositions are to. be applied and the other ingredients of the compositions. If, for example, the composition is to be used as a coating material to be applied by spray or gard to its boiling point and rate of evaporation.

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Where, however, the composition is to be employed as a plastic, somewhat less consideration need be given to the latter factor, unless the material selected is to be used as a combination which case, of course, it is essential that the nitroalkane selected be of sufflciently high boiling point so that it will remain substantially intact in the molded compositions.

Nitroalkanes suitable for use in coating compositions comprising vinyl acetal resins include such materials as nitromethane, nitroethane, l-

nitropropane, Z-nitropropane, the nitrobutanes, the nitropentanes, etc., as well as mixtures thereof. The vinyl acetal resin known in the trade as Formvar is soluble in the first two of these nitroalkanes at ordinary temperatures, but heating for a short time at 50-60 C. is required for solution in l-, and 2-nitropropane. Since, how-'- ever, incorporation of an aliphatic alcohol, such as, for example, ethanol or butanol, renders the nitroalkane a more active solvent, it is generally preferable to effect solution w'th the higher nitroalkane in this way.

Other materials ordinarily used in coating and plastic compositionsmontaining synthetic resins may also be employed in my improved compositions comprising vinyl acetal resins and nltroalkanes. For example, plasticizers such as camphor, cresyl phosphate, butyl phthalate, oxidizable oils, or the like may be incorporated.

Other resins, either natural or synthetic, may

Formvar," 40

brushing it is essential that the nitroalkane be selected with re- 6 0 losolve likewise be used in the composition. Also, pigments or dyes may be included. In selecting the various ingredients, however, the usual precautions must be observed to choose materials substantially inert to the other substances present and which are preferably compatible therewith. In the latter connection,'for example, I have found that the vinyl acetal resin known in the trade as Formvar is compatible with butyl phthalate and cresyl phosphate, but not with castor oil. Similarly, it is compatible with the synthetic resin designated as Rezyl 19," but tends to give cloudy. films when mixed with Damar or ester gum. The latter incompatibility, however, can be satisfactorily corrected by the proper selection of solvents and diluents, e. g., by proper adjustments in the proportions of butanol and xylol added to the compositions.

As in the case of most such compositions it is desirable, for purposes of effecting economies in the use of expensive solvent materials, to use diluents or non-solvents. The solvent properties of the nitroalkanes for Formvar" make the use of high proportions of cheap diluents quite practical. mon solvent materials as acetone, methyllethyl ketone, ethyl and butyl acetate, ethyl and butyl alcohols, Cellosoive, Methyl Cellosolve," "Celacetate, benzene, toluene, petroleum naphtha, etc., as well as in mixtures of esters Formvar is insoluble in such com- Butyl phthalate and ketones with alcohols, and hence such co ponents may be regarded as diluents. The amount or such diluents which may be used in any particular composition depends upon the "tolerance," or amount oi the particular diluent which may be added to a-given volume of a so-. lution of "Formvar in a nitroalkane without causing precipitation 01' the l 'ormvarl' Solutions of Formvar in l-nitro-propane, for example, have very low tolerances for substances such as ethyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, etc., the tolerances being approximately 1.0 for each of these liquids. Nitroalkane solutions of Formvar," however, have quite high tolerances for diluents comprising mixtures of alcohols and coal tar hydrocarbons, and especially for such mixtures high in toluene, as will be seen from the table shown below.

Table 'lolerilmaes of a l9us1glutl ig i7oiormvar in Composition of di- 2 fg g g' f m yl alcohol aaed mam mmm on the total'solvent mixtures in thtoek solution) 80% ethyl alcohol.. 20 o toluene. 1.05. 50% ethyl alcohol. 50 a toluene, 3.00. 20% ethyl alcohol. 60% toluene, more than 4.50.

Formvar" solutions in l-nitropropane also have a tolerance or more than 5.0 for a mixture of 50% ethyl acetate and 50% toluene.v Similar solutions, on the other hand, have low tolerances for mixtures of methyl ethyl ketone and toluene and mixtures oi methyl ethyl ketone and ethyl alcohol.

- From the above, it is apparent that Fornivar" can be dissolved in mixtures of nitroalkanes, alcohols, and toluene, containing comparatively low proportions of nitroalkanes, thus serving to lower materially the costs of solvent compositions required for coating compositions and other purposes without reducing in any way the quality of the vinyl acetal resin film or other product made from the solution containing nitroalkanes.

The following formulae will illustrate the use of nitroalkanes in vinyl acetal resin coating compositions.

- Example I "Formvar" 6 ms. per 100 cc. of

solvent mixture Butyl phthalate 2 ms. per 100 cc. of

i I solvent mixture dissolved in a solvent composition consisting 01'; Mixed nitroalkanes per cent 30 Ethanol (in 20 I Butanol do 10 Toluene do .40

A mixture or nitromethane, nltroethane, 1-nitropro-' pane, and 2-nitropropane obtained by the vapor phase nitration of ropane in accordance" with the rocess oil U. S. Patent lo. 1,967,667, by H. B. Haas, E. Hodge, and B. M. Vanderbilt.

Example II 6 gins. per 100 cc. of solvent mixture 6 gm. per 100 cc. of solvent mixture 1.5 gms. per 100 cc. of solvent mixture dissolved in a solvent mixture consisting of:

1-nitropropane per cent. 30 Ethanol do Formvar Rezyl 19 resin acetal resiniormed by the condensation 01' do 20 y do 20 pigments, dyesg other resins, plastib muted gfllletllllfls may be incorporated in or en s or e corresponding Ingredients oi the above examples. Such changes, however, will usually require that the character and extent of substitution may consideration the customary factors such as folerance, rates of evaporation, etc.

In connection with the use or nitroalkane solutions 01 vinyl acetal resins as coating compositions, it should be noted that such solutions tend xylene It desired, cizers and ethanol-toluene, or nitropropane-butanol-xylene. generally the case with materials possessing webbing tendencies, the latter solution can be at suns first named. *Thisadvanpresent case, however, is offset by oi "Formvar" in the me Now havingdescribea my invention, what I desire to claim is:

l. A composition nltroalkane coal tar hydrocarbon. e

4. A coating composition comprising a vinyl formprotective, or

5. A coating composition cempnsing a vinyl quantity of a volatile solvent com phatic alcohol having less than 5 carbon atoms, a liquid coal tar hydrocarbon, and a nitroalkane champ BOGIN.

vzea polyv nyl 

